The Role of One’s Motive in Meditation Practices and Prosociality
J. S. Reddy, Sisir Roy
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience June 19, 2018 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00048 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that the underlying motive and intent behind prosocial behavior is crucial yet largely overlooked in meditation research, and proposes that meditation practice may need traditional assistance and ethical or moral teachings beyond isolated techniques. |
Abstract
No individual exists without exhibiting prosociality in one or another situation during their lifetime. The argument however, is to what extent? Does it arise spontaneously, out of true empathy and compassion for others, or it is goal-oriented with some hidden motive? Here, our primary intention is to convey that, though various meditation-based interventions can be utilized for different purposes like cultivating prosocial behaviors such as compassion, empathy etc., one’s underlying motive and intent seems to play a crucial role in an individual’s development. Most of the studies exploring prosociality, in the context of meditation, usually do not consider the role of hidden or underlying motivation in one’s prosocial expression. By considering an example of how mindfulness may sometimes lead to the wrong consequences, we try to analyze why it is important to include the aspect of inner motivation in future studies exploring the effects of meditation on prosociality. We also propose that while practicing meditation one may need traditional assistance and ethical/moral teachings in addition to those merely isolated techniques.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Defining Meditation: Foundations for an Activity-Based Phenomenological Classification System. Frontiers in Psychology 2021
- Reducing and deducing the structures of consciousness through meditation. Frontiers in Psychology 2022
- Mindfulness in ward nurses: A concept analysis. Nursing Open 2024
- Meditative introspection promotes the First-person's science of consciousness via intuitive pathways: A hypothesis based on traditional Buddhist and contemporary Monist frameworks August 1, 2020
- The effect of mindfulness training on burnout syndrome in nursing: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing February 5, 2020
and 2 more in the library
Cites 8
- Loving-kindness and compassion meditation: potential for psychological interventions. Clinical Psychology Review July 26, 2011
- Review of the Neural Oscillations Underlying Meditation Frontiers in Neuroscience March 26, 2018
- Toward a unifying taxonomy and definition for meditation Frontiers in Psychology 2013
- Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World Mindfulness June 29, 2017
- Issues and Perspectives in Meditation Research: In Search for a Definition Frontiers in Psychology 2013
and 3 more in the library